Estranged Relations
by J. Ravenhair
Summary: sequel to Hidden Child, this tells about Shinzon's child Kat reaching her teenage years as he tries to raise her on his own.
1. Prologue

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Estranged Relations

Prologue:

Shinzon who was once Lee Clearwater, and Donatra who is now known as Isabelle decided to marry on Earth and raise their little girl Kathryn. Their first year was very difficult as they had been told it would be. Shinzon had the most difficult time because he wanted to stay with Starfleet. He had a difficult time with people believing that he was good when he had decided to take on Shinzon's name instead of keeping his own.

Jean Luc made it a point to take up Shinzon's cause with Starfleet once he was sure of Shinzon morals. Between himself and Kathryn Janeway, Starfleet was convinced to put Shinzon back on active duty with Lee's officer ranking.

Shinzon was stationed back on Voyager in Stellar Cartography. Since Voyager is a much smaller vessel than the Enterprise, he was unable to take Isabelle and their little girl Kathryn, whom they nicknamed Kat, with him. He was reluctant to leave them at home afraid he would lose the happiness he had experienced for the past six months. His happiest times had been with his family. Shinzon felt he needed to take care of his family and make them proud and with being on Voyager he felt he could do this. When he finally had to leave, he knew he was leaving the best part of himself behind.

Each mission the crew of Voyager embarked on was a minimum of three months long. At the end of each mission he would come home on shore leave and spoil his two girls as much as possible. He truly loved the life he had now. His career with Starfleet was taking off, and he was home enough to see Kat grow into a little girl. The only regrets he had in his life now was how he treated Isabelle in the beginning, and how he had destroyed his Reman brothers.

Six months after he had been back on Voyager he was called into Chakotay's office. They had just reached Earth's orbit and he was ready to go home. He had all kinds of questions running through his head and he wondered if Kat had been hurt or if his mom was ill. When he arrived at Chakotay's office he really panicked. Sitting across from Chakotay was Jean Luc. He tried to read Jean Luc's facial expressions, but Jean Luc wasn't giving anything away. This concerned Shinzon even more.

Jean Luc gave Shinzon a manly embrace and asked him if he was doing well. Shinzon started to brace himself because he knew something big was about to happen. As he turned to face Chakotay, he caught Jean Luc with a slight smile on his face. 

"Congratulations Ensign, Starfleet has approved your promotion to Lieutenant." Chakotay smiled. He knew by having Jean Luc aboard, Shinzon had been caught off guard. He was abiding with Jean Luc's wishes to surprise his son and it seemed their ruse had worked.

Shinzon stared back at Chakotay with disbelief in his eyes. He was speechless. He shook Captain Chakotay's hand and let him pin the second pip on his lapel. Then he slowly turned and grinned at Jean Luc.

"Does Isabelle know about this yet?" Shinzon asked Jean Luc.

"Of course. There is a big party planned for when you get home. We can't have my only son get his first promotion and not celebrate it in grand style now can we?" Jean Luc was gleaming with pride. This Shinzon was everything he had hoped for in a son . . . And more.

Shinzon was finishing up his duties when it was time for the party. As he walked up the steps, in his dress uniform, to the ballroom at Starfleet Academy, memories of his time there came rushing back. He had been happy here too, almost as happy as when he'd seen Isabelle and Kat were still alive. Now the anticipation of seeing Isabelle and Kat was almost too much for him. He could hardly wait to kiss Isabelle and celebrate his accomplishment.

Shinzon mingled through the crowd in search of his beloved Isabelle. He talked with both the crews of Voyager and Enterprise. He entertained their comments of how much he had changed and how proud they were of him. He suddenly felt the urge to look at the staircase, and there he saw the love of his life.

Isabelle was dressed in a tight black sequined gown with an off shoulder wrap. She had her strawberry blonde hair pulled up with little ringlets encompassing her face. Shinzon leapt up the stairs two at a time until he reached her. He looked her over with scrutiny and then grabbed her in a passionate embrace. He kissed her as if they were the only ones in the room, not caring who could see them. As he felt his passion building he suddenly felt a tug on his pants leg. He looked down and to his amazement Kat was standing on her own and smiling up at him.

"Hi Daddy!" Kat squealed joyfully. Shinzon picked up his little girl and kissed her forehead and cheeks like he had so many times when she was an infant. 

"You sure have grown Kat. Daddy sure did miss you and Mommy." Shinzon grinned and a feeling of being home and whole again consumed him. The three of them stayed together the rest of the evening and were oblivious to the party still going on around them.

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Two months after that wonderful party, Shinzon was called into Chakotay's office again. Chakotay was alone and he looked very serious. Shinzon, realizing there was no trickery this time, asked Chakotay what was wrong. Chakotay looking very uncomfortable as he turned to Shinzon and said, "Your wife is dying. I've already given the order to head back to Earth at maximum warp."

Shinzon walked in a daze back to his quarters. He knew there had to be some kind of misunderstanding, how could Isabelle be dying when she looked so good two months before? As he entered his quarters the communications signal was going off. He went to the screen and clicked the on button. Jean Luc was facing him and giving him words of encouragement, but Shinzon wasn't comprehending what he was saying at first. Then Jean Luc caught Shinzon's attention when he told him that Kat was with him on the Enterprise and that they were already orbiting Earth. This was a little comforting to Shinzon. The next thing Jean Luc told him was that Kathryn, Rose, and David were with Isabelle until he could get home.

It was the longest two days of Shinzon's life. When he finally made it to Isabelle's side, she was very pale and perspiring profusely. He kissed her forehead and cheeks like he always did with Kat, and she opened her eyes and slightly grinned at him. "I'm so glad you made it my beloved. I'm afraid I don't have much time left."

Shinzon could feel the tears burning his eyes as he fought to keep them away. He wanted to be strong for Isabelle now, but found himself unable to do so. He told her not to go because she was his life and he didn't think he could live without her. Isabelle, feeling life draining from her, turned more desperately to him and made him promise he would raise Kat and never leave her. Shinzon found this an easy promise and agreed.

Later that night Isabelle looked lovingly into Shinzon's eyes and smiled up at him with peace glowing from her face. Then she took one last breath and passed away. Shinzon had found out she had died a few weeks later. He wasn't surprised to find out he had to do with the genetic overlay being removed. There was a self destruct sequence attached to the DNA strand by the Romulans, when the Doctor removed the strand which caused Isabelle to metamorphous into Donatra. Now the Romulans had taken someone else from him. His fury was renewed ten fold, he wasn't sure what he would do, but the Romulans would pay for her life, somehow. 

He decided to push thoughts of revenge from his mind for the time being. The first thing he had to do was take care of Kat. She needed to be protected at all costs now that her mother was gone. When the arrangements for Isabelle's funeral were taken care of, he went to the Enterprise instead of home with David and Rose because he needed to spend time with his little girl.

Three years have passed and Shinzon and Kat have made a home on Voyager. She was still Daddy's little girl, but she kept asking Shinzon questions about her mother. Shinzon had not had time to handle his emotions of rage and pain from losing Isabelle, and the topic of her still hurt to much for him to share. He also felt Kat was dwelling on the subject of her mother to much. As a result of Kat's curiosity, Shinzon felt he needed to get her away from Voyager and himself so he enlisted Kat into school. He told her she should be with children her own age and that he would always be able to be contacted if she needed him. At first this sounded like an adventure to Kat. Shinzon knew he wouldn't be able to protect her as much, but he made arrangements with Rose and David to take care of Kat while he was away on missions, and told Kat he would see her as often as possible. When the adventure wore off, Kat decided the only reason why her father sent her to school was because she was a nuisance and a burden to him. To this day Kat feels as though her father left her with her grandparents because he didn't love her anymore. Little did she know. . . . .


	2. Chapter 1: Little Rebel

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Estranged Relations

Chapter 1: Little Rebel

Ten years later. . . .

Kat was a 5' 5" blonde with brown eyes and a perfectly toned body--and she knew she was beautiful. She was extremely smart and resourceful, but had a tendency for getting into trouble. People, especially her Grandma Rose, would compare her to her father. Kat didn't remember much about her mother, but kept a locket, with her mother's picture in it, around her neck at all times. Kat felt she was a good mixture of both her parents, and now, at the age of sixteen, she had to make a mark in the world for herself.

Some how Kat couldn't stay out of trouble during her time at school. She had been expelled from two different schools in one year for fighting, and was currently trying to stay in this one. Like many teens her age, she was tired of wasting away her days reading books and socializing with the same group of kids. She wanted to graduate as soon as possible and get on with her life. One day at school, while Kat was trying to be good, a bully named Jeffery came up to her as she was walking to class. He had pinched her butt hard enough for her to squeal in pain, and continued to walk past her snickering. Kat was so angry she didn't even realize she'd run up behind Jeffery and shoved him really hard into a wall, at least not until it was over. He was covered in blood. When she saw him, she ran away afraid of the consequences she would face if her dad found out. She couldn't let her father down again, she knew if she did, he wouldn't come to see her at all. It was bad enough that she only saw him at Christmas and Summer break. Some of the kids who witnessed everything told the nearest teacher. Now Kat was in the Headmistress's office waiting on her dad to get there from Star Base II wondering how pissed off he really would be.

When Shinzon arrived, he went directly to where the headmistress had Kat waiting. He knew that Kat had been provoked this time, but he felt this behavior was becoming a habit he had to stop. He was informed that Voyager would be heading back into the Neutral Zone, and he wouldn't be able to take care of Kat. Before leaving Voyager he had decided it was time for Kat to come back home. He made sure her room was ready and enlisted a Teacher for her who would double as a her companion while he was on duty. 

Upon seeing Kat, Shinzon sighed and said, "Pack your bags, you're coming back to Voyager with me. I'm heading to the Neutral Zone and I can't take care of you from that distance."

Kat spitefully yelled back, "You don't even care about me do you old man? You've left me here to begin with because you didn't want me anymore--so why should I go back to Voyager with you?"

Shinzon didn't know if he should slap his little girl, or leave her alone. He chose the later. He turned back to Kat and clenching his teeth while holding back his temper, he told her he would not repeat himself again, and to do what he had told her to do. 

Kat glared at her father, she wasn't expecting this and had no response. In a way she was glad to be going home, but she also knew she had pushed her father too far this time. When they reached the transporter room aboard Voyager, to Shinzon's surprise they were greeted with a loud welcome home cheer from the crew. Alura, Kat's new teacher was there and told them their would be a welcome home party in her honor and that they were to meet back in the mess hall at 1900. Shinzon looked at Alura and nodded his approval. Maybe this was what Kat needed. 

When everyone started to leave, Alura followed the Clearwaters back to their quarters. Kat wondered why this lady she didn't even know would be going with them, but she looked up at her quizzically but her dad wouldn't look back at her. Upon reaching their quarters, Shinzon looked at Alura and asked her to wait in the living quarters. Alura did so, and Shinzon walked Kat to her room with all her belongs.

Kat looked again at her father and asked "Who is she and why is she in our quarters?"

"She is your new teacher, and she will be your companion while I'm on duty." Shinzon stated.

"I don't need a babysitter!" Kat stated as a matter of fact. "Besides, she looks like the type of woman you like to prey upon." 

Shinzon ignored his daughter's last comment and told her she didn't have a choice in this. He also told her that she had better behave while on board or she would stay in the brig for the rest of the mission. Shinzon turned and left his little girl stunned and upset. He returned to the living room and explained that Kat had no prior knowledge of the arrangement. He told Alura to give her time and that they would meet her at the party tonight. Alura left to go to her quarters which were adjoined to the Clearwater's.

Shinzon thought of Kat's last comment and realized there was some truth to it. He did find Alura very attractive. She was 5' 7" with black hair and hazel eyes. She had a bewitching quality about her that Shinzon couldn't resist. She liked wearing the color red, and after seeing her in everyday clothes and having a hard time concentrating on work, he ordered her to wear a Starfleet uniform unless she was off duty. Shinzon didn't allow himself to fall in love anymore, but he still had needs. The only problem with using Alura was that he needed her around much longer than one night. So he avoided her as much as possible.

The party was fun that night and everyone made Kat feel like she was among her family again. She talked with Tom Paris Jr. and a girl named China both of whom she had known since she was two. She tried desperately to try to forget Alura, but everywhere she turned, Alura was there. She tried to concentrate on the conversation Tom and China were having, but they were both two years older than she and were talking about the entrance exams to Starfleet Academy. Kat had no interest in the Academy and wondered if she could skip out early. She stayed with them though because she thought that Tom looked very handsome and wondered if he was dating China or anyone else, but she didn't ask.

That night Kat went back to the quarters she shared with her dad and found out that her dad had removed the door between their quarters and Alura's. Kat didn't like this idea, but she wasn't willing to push her father right now. She settled into her room and wrote a letter to her grandma explaining the 'surprise" her father had waiting for her. She was sure her grandma would tell her father that this was definitely the wrong thing to do to her.

As the days turned into months, Kat started getting cabin fever. They had been on Voyager in the Neutral Zone for a month now and Kat knew her father hated this part of space. She was right, Shinzon felt really uncomfortable being so near the Romulan and Reman home worlds. He was haunted each night with dreams which made him wake up in a cold sweat. One night he was dreaming that his old Viceroy was coming at him with a Reman knife exposed, he lunged for Shinzon. Shinzon grabbed his knife and sliced through the Viceroy's chest with an upwards thrust, barely grazing him, but then he heard Kat scream. Shinzon awoke to find his little girl laying across his legs, blood seeping out from under her. He panicked for a second then called sick bay and ordered an emergency transport for him and Kat.

When the doctor finished caring for Kat's wound, he turned to Shinzon and said, "Ok Captain, I need to know why she has a Reman knife wound." Shinzon explained the dreams and the wound. The Doctor looked at him and said, "I remember what happened the last time you were having dreams Captain Clearwater. I think I should scan your brain for signs of sabotage."

Shinzon had forgotten the implanted memories which had been forced upon him before telepathically, and worried for Kat's safety. He didn't want any harm to come to his little girl and asked the Doctor if there was something he could take to keep the dreams and the old Shinzon at bay. The Doctor prescribed benzodiazepine with the hope that he would be in such a deep sleep he wouldn't dream or be subjected to someone's telepathy. Shinzon didn't like giving up that much control, but for his little girl, he consented to it. The Doctor told him Kat was resting peacefully and to come back in the morning after he had a good night's sleep.

The next morning Shinzon went to check on Kat. She wouldn't look at him or speak to him. She thought he had hurt her on purpose, he seemed wide awake when she touched him and he turned to her. But she also say a madness in his eyes she had never seen before. She needed time to find out why her daddy had acted like this. She had inadvertently broken Shinzon's heart with her coldness. Shinzon was so sure she would want him to hold her. Had they been separated too long? Kat was wondering the same thing, or had she ever known her father?


	3. Chapter 2: Little Runaway

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Estranged Relations

Chapter 2: Little Runaway

"Sir, there is an unauthorized shuttle launch." Harry Kim said.

Shinzon turned to look at Mr. Kim and requested him to hail the shuttle. When Harry received the acknowledgement from the shuttle, he put the person on the view screen. To Shinzon's amazement Kat was looking back at him. "Kat, what are you doing? Bring that shuttle back at once!" He turned to Mr. Kim and asked him if they could still get a tractor beam on the shuttle, but Mr. Kim shook his head no. Shinzon turned back to Kat and said, "I don't know where you plan on going, but this quadrant of space is very dangerous. Please come back to the ship and we'll talk about whatever is bothering you." Shinzon tried to remain calm, he knew the events of the previous night must be the cause for his little girl's attempt at such a dangerous feat.

Kat replied, "After last night, I know the truth. You don't love me, I'm just a burden to you and so I am ridding you of your burden once and for all." Kat cut the communications signal and guided her ship towards Romulus. She had heard her father talk of a Romulan named Donatra. He had loved her once, Kat thought to herself. Now she was headed to Romulus to find this Donatra. She also hoped Donatra would be able to tell her more about her father and the dream she had awaken him from last night. 

Back on Voyager, Shinzon was pacing his ready room. They were in pursuit of Kat, but were not able to hail her again. She was headed for Romulus, and if she kept maneuvering her smaller craft the way she was, there would be no way to reach her before she accomplished her flight plan. Shinzon couldn't help but be a proud of his little girl's cunning. She had only sat on his lap as a child while he had maneuvered a shuttle through Earth's skies, but she piloted this craft as though she had been a pilot for years. He told the helmsman to keep tracking her and if they could reach her before the Romulans, he wanted her and the shuttle transported back. This was their highest priority in Shinzon's mind, not obeying orders or following regulations, but getting back his little girl. He was grateful that his crew agreed.

Voyager's attempts to catch up with Kat had failed. She had reached the Romulan home world and had been escorted to the planet by a Romulan ship. She landed her craft expertly and walked out to greet one of the senators. Kat explained who she was and her mission. She had met with no resistance from the Romulans and she attributed this to the allied negotiations. The Romulan Senator named Chen took her to the home where Donatra had grown up, and introduced Kat to Donatra's parents. To Kat's surprise they looked at her with an odd expression of recognition. Kat felt a bond to them almost instantly, but she couldn't explain why. As she asked her questions she found out their daughter was a great warrior. She had helped defeat their enemies on several occasions, until she had met a Reman solider named Shinzon. He had been her undoing. Kat wondered if this Shinzon was her father, but the Romulan couple would say no more about him. They had been told to keep Kat with them until Voyager arrived. Senator Chen had notified Voyager of Kat's safety and told Shinzon where she would be when he arrived.

Shinzon had no love for the Romulans, but he thanked them for keeping his little girl safe. He went to the couple's home and they released Kat into his custody. Kat didn't want to go with her father, she didn't understand why he would even want her to go back to Voyager with him, but she had no choice. When they arrived, he locked her in their quarters and returned to his duties, he promised that once they were back on their side of the Neutral Zone they would talk about her punishment for stealing a shuttle craft. Kat asked him to tell her about her mother, the dream he had the previous night and Donatra, but Shinzon refused.

When Shinzon returned to his quarters later that evening, Kat was asleep. He decided not to wake her, what he needed to talk to her about could wait until the morning. He went to his room, and was shocked to find candles lit and Alura in his bed. He asked her why she was there. Alura looked at him coyly and said, "Isn't it obvious? I know you're needs. I know if you would let go of your frustrations you would be more amicable with Kat in the morning, so I am here to provide you this outlet. I find you very attractive and I know you desire me. Take advantage of this moment and don't think about tomorrow. I will not expect any love from you or attachments, but it has been a long time for you, and for me as well."

Shinzon looked at Alura. She was so desirable. He leaned over her and grabbed a handful of her hair while pushing her face near his own and whispered, "You don't know what you are saying Alura, I could hurt you and wouldn't even know I had." 

Alura smiled at him and touched her lips to his. "I like it rough."

Shinzon felt his passion growing. He took off his clothing and laid across Alura's beautiful body. He fondled her breast and kissed her neck tenderly. He started to do a rhythmic dance with her and was feeling the frustrations starting to subside within him. They were passionately embraced when Shinzon heard his door open and Kat yell at him, "I hate you, you disgust me! How dare you put you selfish lusts before your own daughter!" Kat ran from him and locked herself in her room. She had figured out how to disable the computer's locking mechanism, so her dad was unable to physically reach her. Shinzon figured this code out, it was a simple one he had learned himself in the academy. He only had time to grab a towel as he followed her, but it was enough. He walked into her room and grabbed her arm hurting her deliberately.

"You don't yell at me and humiliate me by entering my quarters without permission. I am ashamed of your actions and have been since you boarded the ship. If I want to have sex, it is my right to have it with whomever I choose. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you keep these feeling to yourself before you see a side of me you've never seen before."

This outburst surprised Kat. She had known Alura was her father's next prey, and felt sorry for her. Her dad was no better than James T. Kirk had been with women in his day, at least according to all the accounts in history she had read. Now her father was a maniac, she didn't like this side of him.

Shinzon turned and went back to his room. He told Alura she needed to go. He kissed her one final time and left her in his bed as he went to shower. He wasn't sure how to make Kat understand, but he was tired of her attitude towards him. He stayed up the rest of the night in their living quarters, away from his room and the memories of what had happened, prepared for any type of escape Kat would want to make in the middle of the night.

The next morning, Kat went to her father and glared at him with disgust. He tried to explain to her that he had to move on with his life, her mother was dead and he was tired of being alone. Kat reminded him that he wasn't alone, that she was his daughter. Shinzon couldn't get Kat to understand that for a grown man, he needed the sensuousness of a woman. Kat didn't want to hear his wants, his desires, she wanted the father who loved her and her mother back. She wanted to be kissed on her forehead and cheeks as he had done when she was little, but this man before her, was not the father she wanted.

After they had discussed what they needed to do about heir lives, Kat had given in to her father and promised to make life aboard Voyager work. She started school with Alura as her teacher and even told Alura she didn't hold her responsible for her father's lusts. They became friends and Kat started to enjoy her studies more than she had ever enjoyed school. 

Shinzon avoided Kat and Alura for the next few weeks. He spend any time he was off duty in the holodeck. He had decided to program his previous life as Shinzon of Remus and all the horrific acts he had done then as well as when the memories had been planted into his new body. He worked out how to tell Kat that Donatra and Isabelle were both her mother, and saved the program with securities so she couldn't access it without him being there. He felt this was very important knowledge for her to have about what the Romulans were capable of, and what he was capable of.

Alura did her best to interest Kat in her studies. She knew the better Kat was with her schooling, the more likely Shinzon would keep her around. She still wanted him, more than anything. Until the chance came along though, she would do her best for Kat.

Kat had decided she would fool her father into believing she was over him trying to kill her, and the whole sex with Alura thing. She planned on showing her father exactly how cunning she could be. She knew he wasn't use to disobedient females, and he had no idea what a sixteen year old was capable of. . . .yet.

Shinzon removed the restriction to quarters he had placed upon her two weeks ago. He was hoping she would get to know China. He thought she needed a friend more her own age. China was doing an internship as was Tom Paris Jr. and Kat thought China was sweet, but she had her eyes set on Tom.

Every chance she had to be with China she took. She knew that being up front with Tom would disinterest him, so she maneuvered her way to him through China. She hated using China's friendship this way, but in order to get back at her dad, she had to get Tom to fall in love with her.


	4. Chapter 3: Not Daddy's little girl anymo...

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Estranged Relations

Chapter 3: No longer Daddy's little girl

It had been three months since Shinzon and Kat had their big blow up and everything seemed to be going back to normal for them. Alura helped Kat with her exams, and Shinzon was more courteous to them both. They actually acted like a family now that Alura and Kat had become close, and Shinzon was grateful to have his little girl back, and under control.

Kat studied very hard, because she had decided she wanted to be in Starfleet Academy with her friends. She had spent most of her time aboard Voyager and had such role models as Admiral Janeway, Seven, and B'Elanna. She and China would work together on the entrance exams China was going to have to take in a couple of months, and Kat felt she had a better grasp on that material than her high school studies. Tom Jr. would also study with them and they all became inseparable. 

One day, Tom Jr. introduced her to the holoprogram "Captain Proton." His dad had created this interactive story when he was in the Delta Quadrant. China and Kat always played the damsels in distress and Tom Jr. always played the hero, Captain Proton. Kat had so much fun getting away from real life even if it was for a brief time each day. She decided one day to explore some of the other holonovels in the holodeck library and found it a much better way to learn than just reading her books. She even tried creating some of her own novels based on Earth's most historical figures.

One day she found a program marked Shinzon 1. She knew it was one of her dad's old programs. According to the star date, he had created it before she was born. She tried to access it, but to her dismay, it had high security codes. This made Kat even more curious and now her mission changed from trying to get back at her father by using Tom Jr. to finding out what secrets her dad was harboring in the holodeck files. She knew in order to break the access codes she would need to learn more about Starfleet's intelligence and so she accessed some of the classes Kathryn Janeway had downloaded for Icheb, a boy who had been turned into a Borg drone and then reclaimed by the crew of Voyager. She found the classes very hard, but she was determined to learn as much as the classes would teach her. 

Six months later, she was talking to her father at the dinner table and he asked her about the programs she had been using. Kat was very surprised that he even knew she was using the holodeck and said that China and Tom Jr. had peaked her interest and she thought she needed to learn as much as she could. She told him she was trying to stay out of trouble and the holonovels and holoprograms were a release from boredom for her. Shinzon agreed with her that this would be a good way for her to spend her time while they were stationed in the middle of the Neutral Zone.

Shinzon also knew she had tried to access his old program of Deanna on several occasions. He didn't want her to think he was spying on her, but he didn't think she was old enough to understand why he had created that program, so he changed the name and the password every 15 days to keep her off balance. He knew his little girl was extremely intelligent, but to get as far as she had without him finding out about it until a couple of days ago was incredible. He was worried about the Deanna program as much as the one he had just created. Kat hadn't found his new one yet, but he kept it as hidden as he could. He thought about deleting the Deanna program, but something kept him from being able to do it. He wondered if he kept it to punish himself or if the memories of her fear was still attracting him to that part of his personality he so desperately wanted to hide from.

Kat tried to access her dad's program again, but the computer couldn't locate it. She requested it again thinking she had worded the name of the program incorrectly, but the computer's answer was the same. Kat wondered if her dad had received some kind of warning message when she had tried the program and decided if she was able to locate any of his programs again she would have to be more careful about breaking in.

Christmas Day arrived without warning and Kat woke up to Christmas music coming from the living room. She had stayed up late the night before trying to cram as much book work in as she could so that she would have the entire day to be in a new holonovel she had found. It was based in Victorian times and was about an intrigue between a governess and the married man she worked for. She would never be like this woman in real life, but to see how taboo this had been and how necessary deception was in this novel made her realize the knowledge she could gleam.

When she entered the living room a big Christmas brunch was laid out on the dining room table and Shinzon and Alura were waiting for her. She looked around the living room and saw an actual Christmas tree with gifts underneath. She looked to her father with curiosity. She didn't know he even cared about Christmas. They hadn't celebrated it since her mother had died. Kat felt this warm family scene was a little overwhelming. Her father looked back at her and he too had an odd expression on his face. Alura interjected when she saw them both looking at each other wondering who was responsible for all of this and said, "I thought it would be nice for us to have Christmas alone before going to share the day with our fellow crew members."

Shinzon turned towards Alura and thanked her for all of her efforts. Shinzon and Alura had been meeting secretly for several weeks now trying to quench their lust, and each night Shinzon would become rougher with his sexual embraces. He was finding gratification to be harder to achieve each time they were together. He noticed several old bruises on her breasts and abdomen now, but she never complained. He didn't know why he always felt guilty afterwards, but anything she wanted in return for her sexual companionship he was willing to give her if it was within his power.

Later that day the Enterprise pulled up on the Starboard side of Voyager and Picard transported over to be with his son and granddaughter. They exchanged gifts and talked about the days they had been away from one another. Shinzon told Picard about Kat's interest in Starfleet Academy and Picard told her that he would make sure she had all the latest information to study that he could get his hands on, and when she was ready, he would do whatever he could to get her admitted. It was a lovely day and Kat felt it was the best Christmas she had experienced in a long time.

The rest of the year passed by in a hurry. Kat had busied herself with studies and her novel. She had become so involved with the novel during her off hours that she had a hard time keeping track of eating and sleeping. The man in the novel was very obsessed with the character she was playing. He would come to her in the night and explore her lips with his and gently caress her body over her bodice. She always stopped him before it became too intense, sex was something she wasn't ready to experience yet. She did however enjoy the exploration she allowed to happen. He would tell her that he would wait for her, that her youth and beauty would not be spoiled by him. The attentions she received from him were taking the place of the affection she had never received from her father, or any of the boys from school. It made her feel more grown up and really loved. She felt as though her age had finally caught up with her intellect. The man in the novel was tall and slender built with blonde hair and blue eyes, Kat found him very attractive. He had a spark in his personality that left her wanting, but she knew that self restraint was something else she needed to concentrate her efforts on if she was going to become the woman she wanted to be, the warrior she wanted to be. This program provided the education she needed to accomplish her goal.

Shinzon found out about the time she was spending on the novel and asked Alura to explain Victorian Romance novels to him. Alura had understood his concern, and assured him that she was in a very tame novel. This was the first time Alura had lied to Shinzon, but she knew that if Kat were going to explore her sexuality this would be the safest way for her to do so, over the past few months she had grown attached to Kat and wanted her to find happiness, even if it was all holoprojected. Shinzon didn't pursue the matter any further and concentrated on the orders he had just received from Starfleet. They were to head to the Romulan home world to relieve the Pegasus for a short time. Shinzon didn't want to go to the Romulan home world, he had not resolved his feeling towards what they had done to Isabelle, but his loyalty lied with the Federation and he followed their orders and had his helmsman plot a course.


	5. Chapter 4: Deception

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Estranged Relations

Chapter 4: Deception

Shinzon wasn't the only one tracking which programs his daughter accessed. Alura wanted to know what Kat was learning to, she did after all have plans for the girl.

Kat, China and Tom had found out they could really work well together. They would use the flight simulator and battle simulator on the holodeck. They found that when they combined their knowledge, there wasn't any problem they couldn't solve. One day while working in the battle simulator, they came across the battle tactics used when the Enterprise and the Scimitar fought. Kat pulled up the program and held in a gasp as she saw a man similar to her father staring back at them. This man was called Shinzon too and it made Kat wonder if he was related to them somehow. He was a frightening man, and merciless. As the simulation continued, they found themselves overwhelmed by the choices they had to make in order to survive. The first choice they made was incorrect and the computer voice announced them deceased. The second time however, they used teamwork and were able to destroy the Scimitar the same way Enterprise did, by sacrificing one of their own. Kat had come up with the idea and was surprised to find her plan was successful, she was however the one who died. 

After they had finished the simulation, Kat headed back to her quarters thankful that Tom and China had not said anything about the man in the simulation looking like her father. She went to her room and studied all she could about her father, grandfather, and this Shinzon she had just met in the holoprogram. She found that the original Shinzon was indeed her grandfather's clone. Her father was the result of Romulan treachery. After finding out about the male side of her family she researched the female side. She found Rose's story about becoming impregnated with Jean Luc's DNA and the cloaking device used to conceal this. She read about the way her father had been Lee Clearwater until the memories of the deceased Shinzon where implanted into his brain by a Romulan spy. Some how she kept coming back to the Romulans apparent hatred of her family, and this scared her. She had just been down on that planet and didn't feel as though they were her enemies. Her mother's story was very vague and so she decided, on a whim, to look up Donatra's story instead. She found the facial resemblances to her mother amazing and asked the computer to show her what Donatra would have looked like had she been human. Before her very eyes her mother's face appeared. Kat jumped back from the screen in disbelief.

She mulled over the events in the simulator and realized that the original Shinzon must have also had feelings for Donatra. He could have easily destroyed her ship the Valdore at any time and chose to humiliate her by crippling her so she could watch helplessly as the Scimitar destroyed Enterprise instead.

When her dad walked into their quarters later that evening, Kat called him into her room. This surprised Shinzon because Kat had not asked to speak to him privately since they had been reunited. When Kat told him all of the information she had found out, she asked him to tell her everything. If they stood a chance at being a family again, he couldn't keep his past from her. Shinzon agreed and took Kat to one of the holodecks to show her the program he had hoped he would never have to show her.

As Shinzon and Kat waited for the holoprogram to load, Shinzon turned to Kat with sadness etched in his very being and watched her anticipation. He knew the disturbing images she was about to witness could destroy their relationship forever. He decided to warn her about the images being very graphic, but necessary for her to understand who he was and who he had become now. This was the first time Shinzon felt that he needed to protect his little girl from himself.

They walked into the program and their tour guide for the first segment was none other than the man Kat had decided to just name "the clone". He identified himself as Shinzon of Remus and proceeded to tell his story starting with growing up in the mines of Remus, then fighting in the Dominion War, meeting the crew of the Enterprise and violating Deanna Troi. The last subject he relished and went into explicit detail. Kat watched all these horrific images without muttering a sound. Shinzon was amazed that there wasn't a hint of emotion on her face. The clone then proceeded to tell her how vital Jean Luc's own life would be in saving his own. He explained that he didn't want to kill Jean Luc, but had no choice. Kat watched as Shinzon's ship and his life were destroyed in the endeavor. The image of the clone faded from view as his story and life ended.

The next tour guide was the image of her father in present day form. He showed her his happy childhood, his schooling at the Academy and the graduation. She watched as the clone's memories took over her father's body making it his own tool for revenge against the Federation. She watched as the man who looked like her father abused Donatra and joined the Remans on their quest. Then she saw the turning point where Shinzon found love and caring in the same woman he had abused and humiliated. 

Kat started to shake as the emotions came to the surface. She watched her father's anguish as he thought he had lost her and her mother. She saw joy in his face when he realized they had survived the Remans treachery, and watched as her father held her for the first time. Her mother's transformation didn't surprise her as it was intended to do, but she did start to cry as she watched her family's happiness die with her mother.

When the program concluded, Kat turned to her father and embraced him. She snuggled her face into his chest and cried until she was so weak she couldn't move without his help. They walked back to their quarters hand in hand, a family once more.

After Kat had gone to bed, Shinzon read through the daily reports on his desk, trying to forget what he had just put his daughter through. He heard a noise and thought Kat might be experiencing nightmares from the holoprogram. He started towards her room when he felt a lump on the carpet. He had the computer raise the lighting and saw Alura's unconscious form at his feet. He shook her gently and her eyes fluttered open as she tried to focus on him. "I'm sorry Shinzon, I didn't want you to see me like this."

Shinzon looked quizzically at her. She gingerly rose from the floor as he guided her to the nearest couch. He started to call sick bay, but Alura protested saying that she felt better than she looked. She explained to him that she had taken the safeties off of a holoprogram she was in. Of course she had to lie to Shinzon, it was part of her mission. Shinzon didn't pursue it any more, but he didn't believe her story either. He decided to watch her through the night to make sure there were no other complications. When Alura awoke the next morning to see Shinzon watching her, she raised up out of her bed. She couldn't help but notice his surprise as he saw all of her wounds had healed. She only had slight bruises from her supposed encounter with the holodeck. 


	6. Chapter 5: Disappearances

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Estranged Relations

Chapter 5: Disappearances

Shinzon would not accept Alura's quick recovery without an explanation. Alura told him all she knew about her healing abilities. Starting with how they were first discovered.

Alura started her story with the accident she had as a child. She and her friend had climbed into a spindly old tree. The tree reminded them of the ones in horror movies and on trick or treat bags and they thought it would be fun to see how high they could get. When they had climbed 7 feet, Alura's friend slipped. Alura reached down and grasped her friend's hand and pulled her up to safety. As she did, her branch broke in half and she fell.

Alura awoke in a hospital bed and the doctor told her she was very lucky to be alive after her fall. She was told that she wouldn't be able to go home because her abilities needed to be studied more closely. As the years progressed, she went from being an orphan to having friends in the government and Starfleet. She went to the academy and became a teacher hoping to help children stay with their parents while they were stationed away from Earth.

The government never found the reason for her genetic uniqueness and Alura stopped being studied once she was part of The Federation. Several years later she had found that her parents were also part of the Federation and had been killed while on an away mission. She had been found on the planet and was taken back to Earth where she had grown up.

Shinzon was amazed at Alura's story. She had endured so much in her life. He didn't push her for anymore information, but knew she was holding back something. He thanked her for letting him know and walked out of their quarters and to the bridge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Towards evening Kat, China and Tom went to the flight simulator to work on an advanced program. Each time they would correct something on the shuttle, another problem would occur. They decided that the only thing they could do in the simulation would be to transport down to the surface. Kat requested the computer to transport and when the program finished Tom looked at China and said "Where is Kat?"

Tom called the computer and asked for Kat's location. The computer could not locate her, so Tom called his dad and told him what had just happened.

Shinzon was beside Tom Sr. when he received the communication from his son and stumbled back into his chair. He could feel his heart racing as he tried to understand how Kat could have disappeared from a simulation. He called his quarters to let Alura know, but there was no answer to his comm. signal. He asked the computer to locate Alura and Kat and was told neither were on board. He asked the computer to locate them again, but the computer could not find them on the ship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinzon and the senior officers had been discussing the possibilities of how the two had disappeared. Every test they could think of had been run three times, with absolutely no results to where the two had been transported, or how.

After 12 hours of tests and searches, Shinzon was hailed by the new Reman Viceroy Razolon. He told Shinzon he wanted to honor their fellow Reman brother and help him in his quest to get Kat back. Shinzon didn't know what to think, they hadn't contacted anyone on Remus or Romulus, yet here was a Reman, whom he had trusted until the traitorous events that led to Donatra and Kat almost dying, offering information on his only daughter. Shinzon glared at the Reman and said, "If you have hurt my daughter, I will destroy your planet with pleasure in my heart!" 

The Reman was taken aback by such a venomous outburst. He had been told that this Shinzon was weak, yet he seemed as forceful and cunning as the old Shinzon. He decided to be cautious yet truthful. "I saw two Romulans transporting a girl to one of our old female barracks. It isn't in use anymore and would be a good hiding place for someone the Romulans wouldn't want found."

Shinzon continued to listen to Razolon and realized the Reman was telling him the truth. He asked for details of the encampment and the security detail assigned to Kat. He also asked him if Alura was also in the old barracks. The Reman told him only one guard had been assigned to Kat and that she was the only one in the barracks. This infuriated Shinzon, he would not lose his little girl to Romulans or Remans. He was doubting his judgment on bringing her with him. He knew the Remans and the Romulans would love to destroy him, and killing his girl would do that.

Tom Sr. and Shinzon went over all the Reman Viceroy had to say. They analyzed the data hoping to see if there was a trap being laid, but they couldn't find one. As Shinzon started to plan his daughter's rescue, he received a transmission from the Romulan Praetor Chiluc. Shinzon entertained the conversation, and found out the same information the Reman had told him, except the Romulan blamed the Remans for the kidnapping.

The whole thing sounded very suspicious and so Shinzon sent a communication to Jean Luc hoping his father could help him decide what to do. 

Jean Luc was at a loss. This wasn't normal Romulan behavior to be so forthcoming with information. He told Shinzon to be very careful and to bring his granddaughter back safely. Then he signed off.

Shinzon felt better getting to talk with his dad, and it inspired him to do whatever he had to do to save his little girl. He even tried some of the old Reman tricks he learned while they were fighting in the Dominion War.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the Remus, Kat was inspecting her cell. She could tell that it was made of thick metal sheeting, possibly lead based. If so, that could keep a transporter from saving her. She frantically tried to remember all her training with Tom Jr. and China. She also let her natural instincts take over, the ones she knew from an early age were a gift from her father. She was only sixteen, but through the years, when left at school on her own, she had found natural survival instincts embedded into her very being. She found combat tactics very easy and would have her friends, rebels like herself, try to come up with impossible scenarios. She hadn't found one yet she couldn't overcome. Of course they were childish scenarios back then, but when she started training with Tom Jr. and China they tapped into the database for the hardest scenarios they could find. They worked well together and were able to succeed in solving most of them. Now she was here and she knew this wasn't a scenario, she wished her father, Tom Jr. or China was with her, this was real and she was frightened.

Kat found herself very tired and hungry. No one had come in to talk with her and there were no bed linens or food that she could see. She huddled back against a wall and waited for her captures to show themselves, she knew being the daughter of Shinzon that someone would come, it was only a matter of time.

Ten hours later, a Romulan soldier unlocked the door to Kat's cell and threw a blanket, some bread and a container of water at her. She tried to ask him why she had been taken, where she was and if she could talk with her father, but the Romulan soldier turned and solemnly closed the door. Kat could feel her temper rising to the surface once she knew the Romulans were responsible. Hadn't they done enough to her family? She looked at the items the guard had given her and found a small button on the blanket. It was circular and made of black plastic. She examined it closely because it had no obvious reason for being attached. As she examined it she noticed the top of the button was actually a cover. She carefully pried it open and found a small red light blinking. Kat knew immediately it was a tracking device. Maybe the Romulans weren't responsible, or maybe her guard didn't agree with what her captors were doing. She decided to eat the bread she had been given to maintain her strength, and as she tore at the bread she found another item. This one was about the size of a small communications device. She opened it and tried to hail Voyager. All she got was static, but she decided she would work on the device until she could talk with her father.

The next morning Kat finally saw someone she knew. Senator Chen walked into the room and grimaced at Kat. "Well, I see we were successful in bringing the tramp Donatra's daughter to her holding cell. Your mother was suppose to serve our planet and bring your father over to our side. We could have been the strongest military force ever seen! When she left with him and became his little whore, I wanted revenge, yet our government decided to do nothing. Now your father is worse than a Reman. Meeting you, befriending you, and now taking you has given us the advantage."

Kat had a feeling that Senator Chen wasn't working for the Romulan government. He sounded as much a rebel as what she had been since arriving on Voyager. He was fairly young for a senator, but Kat knew he was dangerous, and didn't antagonize him. She continued to let him gloat on his accomplishment trying to absorb any useful information he would volunteer.

After what seemed to be hours, Chen left her alone again. He hadn't hurt her, but she had a sense that if she had given any response to him at all, she would have been beaten, possibly even violated for being who she was. She knew escape was imperative now and concentrated her efforts on getting the communicator to work.

The next day Chen came back again. As the door to her cell opened, Kat hid her treasures. Chen walked up to her and raised her from her seated position. He ran his fingers through her tousled blonde hair and stroked her cheek. "You are very beautiful for a human Kat, its too bad your father is the mighty Shinzon. I think we need to send him a lock of your hair today, I wonder how that will make him feel?"

Kat felt him tear hairs from their roots and she muffled the pain and her scream as best she could. She glared up at Chen hoping to show him that she didn't fear him. Chen smiled back at her and with clenched teeth said, "Little girl, you show no fear now, but if your father doesn't accept our terms, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

Kat waited for Chen to leave and laid down on her pallet made only of the one blanket she had been given and cried.


	7. Chapter 6: Plans within plans

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Estranged Relations

Chapter 6: Plans within Plans

Shinzon sat in his office caressing the lock of Kat's hair he had received several hours before. The Doctor had confirmed it to be Kat's and now Shinzon was awaiting any type of communication from either planet on what the terms would be for Kat's safe return. As he was waiting fear seized him. Both the Romulans and Remans were known as fierce warriors, both could cause Kat severe harm. When he thought back to the memories of childhood, which had been an inheritance from Picard's clone, his anger deepened.

Shinzon paced his quarters impatiently. He hadn't felt such strong emotions since the day Isabelle died, and he was finding it hard to control them. He was making himself suffer by entertaining feelings of fear, anger, frustration, and sadness, which threatened to consume him. Shinzon reasoned with himself that they wouldn't hurt Kat anymore than what they had, if it was him they were after. After all, she was only a pawn in this game . . .a way to get to him. He also wondered why Alura had been taken. "What good was a teacher of his child's to them?" They wouldn't know her as anything else. The sexual encounters they had shared weren't even known to the crew of Voyager. As he was in deep contemplation, his communicator chirped.

"Ensign Clare to Captain Clearwater." 

"Go ahead Ensign."

"Sir, I have a communication for you from Senator Chen."

Shinzon had Ensign Clare send the image of the Senator to his view screen on his desk. "What may I do for you Senator?" He calmly stated.

"Shinzon, we have news of your daughter."

Shinzon wasn't surprised by the news. Now he knew who was responsible, Romulans were always so obvious. "Please Senator any information you have would be of great value to me."

He was told that Kat was on Remus and that a Romulan had covertly inserted a tracking device and a communications device in her bed linens. Chen told Shinzon they were trying to infiltrate the camp further, but had lost contact with the operative a couple of hours earlier. He told Shinzon he would keep him informed of any progress and signed off.

Shinzon looked at all the data he had been given by Chen and started plotting his daughter's rescue. He knew this to be a trap, so he would have to make sure Chen didn't suspect anything. He called a meeting of the senior staff to give them the same information he had received from Chen and told them he had a plan to save Kat.

"Sir, has there been any word on Alura?" B'Elanna asked.

"No, I've not heard anything, but I'm glad you mentioned her. I want everyone to assume she has been captured as well. If there is any sign that she betrayed us, and is involved in Kat's kidnapping, I want her brought back to face me. Starfleet Regulations be damned!"

B'Elanna understood how he felt, if anything ever happened to either of her children she imagined she would react the same way. She knew Tom Jr. was very concerned for Kat's safe return and wondered if their relationship was more than friendship. She pushed these thoughts aside, and told herself that Kat's safe return was her priority. She stood up to go back to Engineering as everyone else headed back to their posts as well.

"B'Elanna, may I have a moment?" Shinzon asked.

"Yes Sir?" B'Elanna asked curiously.

"Your son was with my daughter when she disappeared, does he remember anything peculiar about the program?"

"No Sir. Tom and I have asked him repeatedly and he still can't fathom how it happened. He has re-run the simulation for us, but it ran normally."

Shinzon thanked her and B'Elanna left. As he pondered over the day's events he decided he would have to control his emotions and plot his actions carefully. "Kat hang in there baby, I'm coming to save you!" He thought angrily.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kat now feared she would never be rescued, or be able to get the communications device working. She didn't want to disable the tracking beacon, but she was feeling really desperate. It had the parts she needed to boost the comm.'s signal. It had been two days since she last saw Chen and a whole day since she had received any food or water. She found herself very lethargic; she was unable to stand without feeling waves of dizziness and nausea.

Chen walked into the room and instinctively Kat hid the devices and huddled into a corner. She balled herself up tightly hoping he would not be able to harm her the way she was sure the Romulans had hurt her father when he was young. Chen realized her fear and was empowered by it. "Little mouse, would you come talk to me if I gave you some cheese?" Chen looked at Kat with an evil grin as he said this too her then sat out some cheese, bread and water onto the table beside him.

Kat looked at Chen warily thinking how wonderful any morsel of food would be. She saw Chen hold out his hand for her to grasp and she warily stretched forth her own hand. "There, now see, I'm not going to hurt you, only pets which don't behave are punished." He guided her to the table and the food he had brought in with him. He also opened a bundle containing hygienic supplies, a couple of changes of clothing and a few field rations. Kat waited for Chen to say more or even hurt her, but Chen continued to gaze curiously at her. After an hour of neither of them moving, Chen stood up to leave. He pulled Kat to her feet and she struggled not to fall or pass out. Chen stroked her cheek with a loving touch and said, "Good night little one, may the gods smile on your sleep." Then he left. Kat scrambled to the table and ate every morsel Chen had laid out for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chen walked confidently down the hallway. When he reached the fifth door; he paused, keyed in an access code and walked it. Sitting at a table in the center of the room was Alura. Upon seeing him enter the room she lowered her eyes to the table. 

Chen found Alura to be a very interesting amusement. In fact, that is why he made sure Shinzon chose her as Kat's teacher. Alura was a very talented actress, and she was bound to him forever as a sex slave. As he walked over to the small table and poured himself some Romulan ale, he continued to gaze at Alura. He sipped at the drink while thoughts of her in his bed intruded upon him. When he had finished his first glass, he poured another and drank it.

Alura had been brought to this cell upon arriving on the Reman's home world. She knew it well and had lived here for several years before Chen had decided to send her to Earth to become Kat's teacher and Shinzon's confidant. She played Chen's game and succeeding in capturing Kat, but she also knew that she had to return Kat to Shinzon and make peace with him in order to maintain any humanity she had learned while on Earth. Chen had a very powerful hold over her, and she knew her place, but as these last few days had left her to ponder her actions, she knew it was time to leave him forever. 

Alura knew she could never take Isabelle's place with Shinzon or Kat. She also realized while sitting here waiting for her next order to be issued from Chen's evil lips, that she did care for them both deeply and had resolved herself to bringing them back together even if it cost her everything, including her own life. 

Chen turned to Alura; her eyes were still focused on the table. He walked up behind her and grabbed a fistful of her hair. He noticed the differences in her hair and Kat's and was amazed at how different human hair could be from individual to individual. Alura had remembered her training, and this pleased him very much. Kat was less subordinate right now, but she would learn in time. He pulled Alura's hair until she rose from her seat. She didn't move to face him, and she kept her eyes constantly on the table even though she was now feeling severe pain. 

Chen loosened his grip on her hair and turned her towards him. He fingered the bruised on her face from that morning's beating and whispered to her, "Why do you pretend to behave when I know you so well? Now, I have need of your talents." He pushed her into his sleeping chamber and down onto all fours. She whimpered as he removed her clothing. She was glad he couldn't see the disgust she had for him as he pleasured himself. When he was finished he left her humiliated and alone.

Her guard waited outside the chamber door for her to make herself acceptable again. Hours later when the guard fell asleep, she took some flour from the makeshift kitchen and decided that she would no longer take Chen's abuse. She lightly blew the flour onto the access panel and found the prints she needed. She lightly touched the keys hoping it was in sequence. She was rewarded when the door opened. 

Alura listened to the sounds in the corridor hoping to find the way to Kat's. She heard two guards walking her way and quickly hid in an alcove. When the guards had passed, she walked back in the direction, which they had emerged. When she was almost upon the fifth door, she saw a guard asleep in a chair. Chen's staff was exhausted from this endeavor, and it was starting to make them careless. She walked over to the access panel, blew a little more flour over it and keyed the buttons the way she thought they should be keyed. The door opened and she saw Kat whimpering in a corner. She wedged the door shut with the table from the room and went over to Kat. "Kat, its me Alura, are you ok?"

Kat looked at Alura in disbelief. She told her she was ok, but wanted to get out as soon as possible. She showed Alura the hidden items and they worked on the communicator. Alura couldn't believe how gifted this little girl was; she realized there was hope of escaping her life with Chen after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kat's communications signal did reach Voyager. Ensign Clare patched it through to Shinzon as they tried to lock onto the signal's location. Shinzon talked to Kat and found out how she was doing. Kat told her father that Alura had also been captured and was with her now. Ensign Clare signaled Shinzon that they had a lock on their bio signs and Shinzon told her to transport them immediately to sickbay and then leave the Star Empire's space as quickly as possible.


	8. Chapter 7: Avoiding War

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Estranged Relations

Chapter 7: Avoiding War

Voyager had only made it half way through the Neutral Zone when the first volleys of fire were felt. Shinzon asked his tactical officer for a report. This tactical officer was seasoned, Shinzon told himself, but he missed Tuvok's wisdom in situations like these. "Sir, a Reman war bird has just de-cloaked in front of us, and a Romulan war bird is responsible for the volley we just received."

Shinzon tried to not let his panic show to his crew. He had never known the two races to work together, but for an ambush like this to take place, there was no other explanation. He started plotting strategies in his mind and ordered his senior staff to take their places on the bridge.

B'Elanna and Tom were the first to arrive. Shinzon informed them of the situation He talked privately to Tom stating he wanted to be with Kat in case they tried to take her again, and Tom nodded with understanding. Tom assumed control of the bridge. Shinzon mulled over the situation as he headed towards sickbay. He wasn't worried about the Romulans or Remans destroying Voyager and its crew, this was a personal attempt at him, not the Federation.

The Doctor nodded to Shinzon as he entered the sick bay. Kat laid motionless on one of the beds. The Doctor explained to Shinzon that he had sedated Kat upon their arrival back to Voyager. Kat needed rest and was very emotional about her recent adventure on Remus. Shinzon nodded to the Doctor in understanding and asked him about Alura. The Doctor said Alura hadn't left Kat's side since their arrival back, but upon feeling the weapons fire they had received, she had started to worry and kept asking if the force field around Kat was still working. Shinzon looked back at Kat's bed, and noticed Alura in the corner. He didn't know why he hadn't seen her there before, but she looked like someone ready for battle even if awakened from her stupor to a fight. He had never seen her look this way before. He asked the Doctor to allow him access to his little girl, and proceeded through an opening in the force field to be with Kat.

Shinzon looked at Alura and asked her about the circumstances preceding the escape back to Voyager. Alura explained to him how she was Chen's sex slave, and was committed to following his orders. Then she explained how Kat had been taken to taunt Shinzon into starting a war with the Star Empire, and how she had become determined to leave her life behind, reunite him with his daughter and suffer whatever consequences he had for her.

Shinzon was appalled. He told Alura to leave him and his daughter. She could come to see Kat again, but he needed time to thing about how he would deal with her deception. He turned to the Doctor and asked him if Kat could be awakened. The Doctor didn't like the idea, but he granted Shinzon's wishes.

Kat fought against waking up at first. Shinzon kissed his little girls cheeks and forehead as he had when she was little, and her stirrings became more pronounced. She looked up at her father and asked him if they were safely back in Federation space. Shinzon didn't know how to tell her the danger was still very near, but he did. He had decided not to keep things from Kat, she wasn't as little as he wanted her to be, and they needed to be a family now more than ever.

Kat sat up; more awake now and asked her father why he was there in sickbay instead of on the bridge. She told him their only hope was to have him in command right now. She reminded him that the needs of the one could not be seen to before the needs of the many. She told him she would feel safer knowing he was up there instead of hiding with her down in sick bay.

Shinzon smiled at his little girl. He had never noticed how much she was like him. He agreed that he was needed back on the bridge and asked her to call him if she needed anything at all. Kat gazed at her father, unsure of how he would take her next question. She decided the worse thing he could do was to tell her no, so she asked, "Dad, I want to be on the bridge with you."

As they walked onto the bridge the crew turned and nodded assurances to them both. They knew Shinzon wouldn't have brought Kat to the bridge unless he had a purpose for her being there. He asked Tom for a report after making sure Kat had a seat beside him.

"Captain, the warp core is off line, weapons are off line, and we are down to 10% shields." Tom said half heartedly. Shinzon turned to Kat to see how she had taken Tom's news and he saw her standing there as stoic as any of his senior officers.

"Have we been contacted?" Shinzon asked Tom.

"No Sir, the Romulan ship is still behind us, but they are just sitting there. Unfortunately, we are caught in the middle of a war for power, and we are the prize. "

Shinzon thought about what Tom had said, he remembered learning about Earth's duels from the 19th century. He agreed with Tom that they were indeed the prize. He turned to B'Elanna and asked her how soon Engineering could get systems back on line. B'Elanna didn't give Shinzon the answer he wanted, but at least she was realistic with her estimation of two hours. "Do your best Commander, we need to plan an escape before the Romulans and Remans get bored staring at each other. If we can't, we'll have to self destruct, and I don't want to entertain that option."

B'Elanna acknowledged Shinzon and left the bridge for Engineering. Kat turned to her father and whispered to him, "Dad, I have an idea."

Shinzon listened to Kat. He knew her idea was similar to one Kathryn had used while in the Delta Quadrant. He thought about it, and decided the plan could give them the time needed to make repairs. He contacted B'Elanna and said, "Commander Torres, would it be possible to bring the holo-emitters we have on the hull on-line?"

B'Elanna knew at once what Shinzon was going to try. "Yes Sir, we have projection capabilities."

Shinzon then explained Kat's plan to her. He wanted to send the Delta Flyer out with bio-readings of Kat and Alura. He turned to Tom and told him that he would be piloting the Flyer by remote. He knew with B'Elanna and Tom controlling the actions and the readings of the Flyer, the Romulans would follow in pursuit. He hoped it gave them enough time to get systems back and come up with a plan of escape.

As preparations were being made, Shinzon contacted the Reman war bird. He asked them to state their intentions. "Shinzon, we are here to insure your safety. Until you have your systems on line, the Romulan war bird has been told to stand down or be destroyed." Razolon was pretty sure Shinzon had believed his statements. The Reman Viceroy had decided long ago that Shinzon had become soft and too trusting for his own good, now it would prove to be his undoing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kat looked at her father. He seemed to be more relaxed after talking to Razolon. Kat didn't trust the Reman though. Something in his tone of voice reminded her of Chen. She started to tell her father this when the Romulan war bird hailed them.

"Shinzon, I believe you have my pet. Return her, and I shall let you go. I tire of this game we play. If you decide not to comply, I will view this as an act of war and will inform the Federation of your actions." Chen had fury in his voice. Kat could feel her heartbeat quicken as she realized he could mean Alura. Could this pursuit be to recapture Alura and not her? Kat thought about it more and realized she was furious with Alura for putting them all in such danger by escaping.

Shinzon knew of course that Alura was now Chen's objective since he failed to keep Kat in his control. He turned to Kat and saw that the color had drained from her face. He decided Kat had been up too long and decided to escort her back to their quarters for a much needed rest while he tried to deal with Chen and his request.

As soon as Shinzon reached the bridge he contacted B'Elanna to launch the Delta Flyer. B'Elanna answered that the Delta Flyer had launched only moments before his hail. Shinzon asked B'Elanna why she had launched the Flyer so soon. B'Elanna said she didn't. Shinzon then turned to the helmsman and ordered the Flyer to be hailed. The helmsman said, "Sir, our hails are being ignored."

Shinzon turned to look at Tom. Commander Paris was viewing the Flyer's bio-readings and looked up as Shinzon started to ask him for a report. "Sir, Kat and Alura are on board the Flyer. Do you want us to try to transport them back to Voyager?"

Shinzon didn't know what Alura was up to, but he wasn't about to let his little girl endure more pain for him. He had Tom try to bring them back, but the Flyer was out of reach. They tried a tractor beam, but it too failed. All they could do now was wait. If they moved Shinzon was afraid they would be fired upon. Not only that, most of their systems were still off line.


	9. Chapter 9: Bonds of a Father and Daughte...

****

Estranged Relations

Chapter 9: Bonds of a Father and Daughter:

Kat hailed Voyager. Shinzon answered with relief in his voice. "Kat! Thank goodness. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again. What are your coordinates?"

Kat gave her location to her father. She turned to Alura and with a smirk on her face said, "See I told you everything would work out. We'll be home soon Alura, just as I promised."

"I don't know Kat, something is wrong. We got away from Chen too easily." 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we haven't seen or heard anything about the Reman war bird, and I don't know if you have figured this out yet, but Chen and Razolon are working together."

Kat hadn't thought of that. As soon as Alura finished telling her their plan to bring her father back to being the old Shinzon, or destroy him, she understood the danger Alura was speaking about. 

"Computer, active hull plating!" 

It was too late. As she gave the computer her order, the Reman war bird de-cloaked in front of them. Razolon hailed them.

Kat tried to control the fear in her voice, she knew Voyager was still too far away and that she had fallen for another trap. "This is the Delta Flyer. We are awaiting Voyager's return, and do not need your assistance, I repeat, we do not need your assistance."

"Yes, I know you don't. You will no longer be in your current position when Voyager gets back though." As Razolon told her this, she started to feel the Flyer being pulled towards the war bird. 

Alura had been afraid that Kat would fight the tractor beam thus destroying the Flyer. However, she was wrong because all Kat could do was sit and stare out the main window at the war bird. Alura desperately tried to get Kat's attention, but Kat wasn't responding. As a last ditch effort, Alura tried sending an encrypted message to Voyager. She wasn't sure she had succeeded, but she knew it was their last hope of being rescued.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, on Voyager. . . . .

"Captain Clearwater, we have just received an encrypted message form the Flyer."

Shinzon told his communications officer to send the transmission to his ready room. He had been on duty since Kat had hailed him while the rest of his senior staff was resting in case the Remans tried to attack the Flyer. He knew this was a possibility, especially if his suspicions were correct. He just wondered if Kat realized this.

He read Alura's transmission and realized his little girl hadn't realized the Remans could pose a threat. Now she was in shock, according to Alura, and she desperately needed his help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinzon knew what he needed to do to save his little girl. "Helmsman, how long until we reach the Flyer's coordinates?"

"Sir we there now."

They dropped out of warp in time to see the Flyer being pulled closer to the war bird.

"Launch torpedoes towards the war bird's originating point for the tractor beam on my mark!"

"Fire."

The volley did exactly what Shinzon needed it to do. The beam which was holding Kat and Alura diminished. Shinzon knew this was his only opportunity to get Kat back. The element of surprise gave him enough time to beam the Flyer back to Voyager's cargo bay. He issued the order and as soon as they had the Flyer they left the area at maximum warp.

"Alura, are you there?" Shinzon left out the normal formalities, he wanted to make sure his little girl was ok.

"I'm here Shinzon, and so is Kat, but she still seems to be in shock."

"De-activate the hull plating and beam her directly to sick bay. Then if you don't mind, I'd like to have a full de-briefing of the events in my ready room."

After the chime to Shinzon's ready room had sounded and he had requested her to enter, Alura walked in and sat down opposite of him. She told him about Kat's plan to save him and their daring escape.

"I'm very impressed by my daughter's resourcefulness, but you both could have been killed. I don't know how I can convince her to let me take care of her instead of her always having to do stunts like this."

"I think she has learned her lesson Shinzon. She was scared to death when the Remans turned out to be foes as well."

"Thank you Alura for your honesty. I want to believe that you have also learned to trust me instead of trying to handle things on your own. Am I correct?"

"Yes Shinzon, I am very sorry. I wasn't forthcoming with all the information I had in the beginning, and I know what I've done can never be forgiven."

"On the contrary, what you have done for my daughter, makes me realize that you never intended harm. I feel we are on the road to friendship once again."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Doctor examined Kat. He knew she was scared and that her condition was purely emotional. He tried sever different stimulates trying to arouse her from her stupor. Finally, he succeeded and Kat looked at him in amazement. "Doctor, how did I get here? I thought we'd be victims of my own blundering."

"Now, now Kat, you are home and there is no need to dwell on what could have been."

"My father, oh, what will he think?"

"Your father is on his way now. I believe you both need some time to work through everything that has transpired."

Kat started to panic and the Doctor gave her reassurances that everything would be fine. As Kat sat up, her father walked into the room.

"Doctor, how is my little girl?"

"She is fine Captain. No scratches or bruises that I can see, but be careful, she has had a traumatic few days."

"I will Doctor. Now, may I have some time alone with my daughter please?"

"Well, if you insist. Computer, deactivate the EMH."

As the doctor faded from view, Shinzon looked at his daughter. "You know you've made me very old over the past few days."

"Dad, I'm so sorry. I only wanted to protect you."

"I'm your father, I'm suppose to protect you. When I'm old and can no longer take care of myself, then you can protect me, ok?"

Kat smiled at her father. Shinzon kissed her on the forehead and stayed with her as long as she was awake. Kat realized she wasn't sure what had happened with the Remans and she decided to ask her father.

"Oh, I contacted the Romulan home world while you were busy keeping their attention and told them what we'd gone through the past few days. They have caught up with Chen and Razolon's war birds and have arrested them for conspiracy to start war with the Federation. They will no longer be a burden to us. We are on our way home Kat. We are taking a vacation to reacquaint ourselves with our family.


	10. Epilogue

****

Estranged Relations

Epilogue:

__

Christmas Journal Entry:

It has been nine months since my adventure with dad. We had our hiatus from space and found out we really do have a lot in common. We both like to ride horses and play strategy games. We also like the same color and music. 

Upon our return to Earth, I did have to go before Starfleet and give the account of my actions. I thought they would charge me with theft, but a Vulcan my father has known for years, stood up in my behalf. He told the board that the love of a daughter for her father should be more than enough evidence to prove I was only trying to do the right thing. He told them he felt that it had taken enormous amounts of bravery for me to confront my captor again. The board agreed with Tuvok's logic and I was found not guilty. I was allowed to apply for Starfleet and have been accepted upon my graduation from high school next year. Grandpa Picard has retired, so I'm going to stay with him during the school year. Dad said he would come visit as much as possible while I finish my schooling on Earth.

Grandpa Picard insisted we spend the Christmas holidays with him at the family vineyard. We have been here a couple of months now. The entire estate is beautiful and I've been allowed to explore every nook and cranny I can find. Grandma and Grandpa Clearwater joined us about a week ago and we have had more family arrive since then.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We shared family stories, we burned the Yule log and all of us were required to sing Christmas carols. I never knew how beautifully my father and grandfather could sing, but they sang 'O Holy Night' at midnight on Christmas Eve and it touched my heart and filled my soul with pride. Dad even surprised me by trying to give me a Christmas rap. He was so funny.

Today I received a gift from the Doctor. I've never received anything from him in the past so this really came as a surprise. He told me that he had saved this gift until I was old enough and after what I'd been through over the past year, he knew I was ready. They were little data chips. I looked at them in wonder and after the Doctor told me they were my mother's personal logs I couldn't wait to play them. 

At first they were just typical day to day logs my mother had kept while aboard Voyager. She still looked Romulan and was very excited about expecting me. She worried a lot about dad and wondered if the shock we had received would hurt me in anyway. She was really bored and wondered if she would see my father again. She seemed to almost be in a depression at one point. She mentioned several times about how she hoped I was a girl, but that she knew dad wanted a boy.

Then there were entries of all of us as a family. Seeing how much they loved each other and me made me cry. I watched all of the entries and was very grateful to the Doctor for my gift. 

As I put away the last of the chips, I realized I wasn't in my room alone anymore. I turned and saw dad sitting on my bed with tears gently flowing down his face. He looked up and said "Kat, I never knew your mom had a journal. I want you to know that no matter how cruel I was to your mother at first that I did grow to love her more than anything. He then told me about his life. It amazes me that he decided to keep his first name as Shinzon instead of Lee, but now I understand that he wanted the constant reminder of who he was so that he would never become him again.

Dad told me that I was a blessing, and that I meant everything to him and to my mother. I knew the tears were freely flowing down my face. I went over to him and hugged him as tight as I could. He started to weep more loudly and hugged me back. He raised his face and kissed me on the forehead and cheeks like he has always done. I use to hate that, but I know he is telling me that I will always be first in his life.

Dad and Alura have talked about the events and dad forgave her. They are best friends now and she has a job at one of the local schools here on Earth.

Towards the end of Christmas Day, Grandpa gathered all of the Clearwaters and Picard's in the study. He toasted the family in the traditional manner and we walked out to the grand hall to greet our guests. Tom Jr. kissed me under the mistletoe and danced with me several times through out the night. I think he is so handsome. Dad had to come over and be the protective father though and it spoiled the fun we were having. It was nice to have dad protect me like that.

Later in front of the blazing fireplace, dad and I talked more about our heritage. He handed me a small package and asked me to open it. I did and to my amazement, there was a little golden locket inside. I opened it to find pictures of my mom, my dad, and myself. There was also a black lock of hair. Dad explained that mom had kept it as a reminder of what the Romulans were capable of doing. I cried and snuggled up against dad until I fell asleep. He must have carried me up the stairs because when I awoke the next morning I was in bed. I know I'm blessed with wonderful relations now and am proud to be my father's daughter.

The End.


End file.
